A far north Queensland inquest into the death of a girl at the hands of her mother has heard that Department of Child Safety staff were "drowning" in an untenable workload.

The inquest today heard more evidence from a Department of Child Safety officer responsible for sending an eight-year-old girl in foster care back to her mother, who later beat her to death with a metal pole.

The girl was found dead at the flat in Cairns in 2011, and last year her mother was jailed for seven years for manslaughter.

In November 2010, the girl's school alerted authorities after a teacher's aide saw bruises and deep welts on her body.

She was placed in foster care after her mother attacked her with a coat hanger, but returned to her after nine days.

The officer who managed the case, Jessica Weiland, gave evidence yesterday and faced the inquest again today.

Ms Weiland was the subject of a critical internal report and issued with a show cause notice, which is yet to be resolved.

She has defended her decision to return the girl to her mother after nine days, but conceded the investigation could have been better resourced.

She said the Department had been aware of the extreme workload and the stress it placed on staff, and that it was "bittersweet" a child had to be murdered before it acted.

Ms Weiland also told the inquest the foster carers raised no concerns, and the girl's mother was compliant and remorseful, where many other parents she dealt with were aggressive and did not acknowledge their wrongdoing.

She said on the day she received the girl's case, her office was understaffed and dealing with numerous other urgent cases, including one of sexual abuse in a family well-known to Child Safety.

The inquest has also been told the Department underwent a restructure and more training for staff in response to the girl's death.

Yesterday, Ms Weiland told the inquest she did not order a medical examination or speak to other members of the girl's family before sending her back home.

She said the mother showed remorse and the girl seemed happy to go back.

Ms Weiland said she thought the girl's extended family would protect her, though she admitted she never spoke to them and they ultimately did not report any abuse.

She said it was only after the girl's death she learned the mother had not taken part in an early intervention program or sent the child to school for a year.

A review by the department's ethical standards unit was critical of Ms Weiland but she has told the inquest, she still stands by her decision, though she could have done a better investigation with more resources.

The girl's stepfather was last year sentenced to three years in jail for turning a blind eye to the abuse.

The girl, her mother, stepfather and step grandfather cannot be named for legal reasons.